Banners of the North (SYOC)
by SilverFernFiction
Summary: How would the story have changed if the Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell did not have his head prematurely removed from his shoulders? What if he had more friends too make sure his head is kept in it's rightful position upon his neck? How could the Stark have the last laugh? There are new banners rising in the North, and new swords to change this story. (SYOC Open)
1. SYOC Application (outdated, read page 2)

**Hello everybody, SilverFern here! **

**I was browsing the Game of Thrones page when this idea suddenly came to me:**

**Would an SYOC in Game of Thrones be cool? The answer is obvious: **

**Yes!**

**After looking through the collection of stories I realised that there are next to none of them, so I thought I'll bite the bullet and make one myself.**

**The rules are as follows:**

**OC applications MUST be sent in through Private Messaging, any left for me in reviews will not be considered.**

**OCs MUST be a member of a Noble House who are bannermen to the Starks. They can be the Lord, Lady or their sons and daughters (Bastards allowed)**

**OCs I have accepted will be asked further questions regarding their House and families. **

**OC applications MUST follow the guidelines I have prepared below**

**Due to previous problems regarding too many accepted OCs, I will not be accepting many.**

**There are no deadlines, I will stop bringing in OCs when I feel I have enough. I will release a list of the accepted OCs when I have decided, and will inform all who sent applications in if they have been accepted or not.**

**The SYOC will remain open throughout the story for extras and whatnot. If I receive OC applications after the main characters have been chosen I will discuss it with the sender. **

**The owners of the OCs I don't chose are free to debate with me over PM for a position.**

**Follow these above rules and there shall be no problems**

**OC Application Info List:**

**Your OC (Be as descriptive as possible)**

Name:

Alias:

Age:

Personality: (brief)

How did they become a Lord/Lady:

Hair:

Eye Colour:

Skin:

Facial Hair:

Build:

Companion(s): (Horse, Dog, etc.)(Name and small description)

Clothing:

Weaponry:

Armour:

Fighting Style:

Extra: (Any additional info you want to give)

**Your House Info**

House Name:

House Banner:

House Keep/Lands Name: (E.g. Winterfell)

House Specialty: (I would like each house to have a specialty. Mine will be fierce warhorses)

House saying: (Not required, but appreciated)

House Relationship with House Stark:

House Relationship with House Destrier:

**Family Info (I will talk to OCs I am considering about their families through PM)**

**My OC Application (an example)**

**Your OC (The character representing you in the story)**

Name: Aaryn Destrier

Alias: Lord Destrier

Age: 31

Personality: A kindhearted northerner who values his family more than anything else. Hates trickery of any kind. Hard to earn his trust, but is fiercely loyal to those who have earned it.

How did they become aLord/Lady: Became a Lord at the age of 26 due to a freak hunting accident involving a spear, a rock and an angry bear.

Hair: Rough, messy, dark brown, mid-neck length

Eye Colour: Dark Green

Skin: Slight tan from hours spent riding

Facial Hair: Trimmed full beard

Build: Slightly heavy build but still remaining athletic

Companion(s): Shade (Horse) Black Warhorse with white socks and muzzle. Wears a Drape displaying the House colours, Black and Green and grey metal barding covering his face neck and flank. His saddle contains all Aaryn might need.

Clothing: Wears black padded leather clothing to protect him whilst riding under his dark green cloak with grey fur around the neck. The cloak is secured by a leather cross in the middle of his chest, upon which his house emblem, a White rearing horse with an abstract pattern resembling his war horn on it, is emblazoned.

Weaponry: A longsword called 'Dawnrend', the sword of House Destrier, and a shield called 'Chillbane'. The Shield is emblazoned with their house emblem and the longsword's hand guard has two horses carved into it.

Armour: Wears dark grey platemail over his boots, shoulders, neck and lower arms, with flexible scale armour over his chest and thighs. His plate helmet has designs of charging knights on horseback emblazoned onto his cheek-guards. In the middle of the top of his helmet the gold-coloured trim raises out of the helmet to support a green plume that looks like a horse's mane. The support itself is carved to look like a whinnying horse head.

Fighting Style: When not on horseback, Aaryn is a very tactical but brutal fighter, preferring to beat his enemy senseless with his shield before finishing them with his sword

Extra: Possesses the War Horn of House Destrier, the war horn shown in their house banner

**Your House Info**

House Name: House Destrier

House Banner: Half black and half dark green, with a white rearing horse overlapping the two halves. The Horse has small black shapes like holes on its middle, shaped like a War Horn.

House Keep/Lands Name: Lancefall

House Specialty: Famously devastating Cavalry

House saying: Lead the Charge

House Relationship with Starks: House Destrier has been loyal to the Starks for many years, and Aaryn has always held Eddard in high regard.

**Family Info (I will talk to OCs I am considering about their families through PM)**

**My story will take place just prior to Eddard's beheading and will involve him being rescued and brought back to the North by the OCs I accept, and will follow the North through a very different war with the South. I will accept any plot ideas given to me.**

See you soon, SilverFern


	2. OC list & New OC Form

Before we start I would like to say that I received such a large amount of OC applications, and each and every one of them were fantastic and would have fit in well with my story. To show you just how tough it would have been to get in, I have only accepted Three main OCs:

Elias Hunter - MyOtherPersonality

Cristina Blackwood - TheNightGirl

Dramen Marhall - Littletimmy223

The above names are those who are the main OCs that I have chosen, keeping to a few due to the vast amount of information there is to keep track of, I don't want to turn the story into a kaleidoscope of characters that both you or I have any hope of understanding. However, one user called '**robbo2480**' gave me a great idea. His character is to become a Sworn Shield to my character Aaryn Destrier. So this is my offer.

All those who still want a character within my story may ask to become a Sworn Sword, a Commander, a spy, or whatever you want. Follow the list below if this interests you.

**First:**

**PM me with a position you would like to fill as well as a brief description of your new character. It can be the same as your previous submission but altered to suit the new position. **

**Second:**

**I will then forward that information to the chosen OCs to see if any would like your character with them.**

**Third:**

**I will then forward the OC info from all the ones who said yes to your character to you, so that you may choose which one you would like to join.**

This will be open throughout the entire story, closing only when either all positions have been filled, or when either myself or my chosen OCs will not accept any more. If you have further questions please PM me. To those I have chosen please PM me if you have any problems with this extra proposition.

The first chapter will be released soon, I will see you then.

Many thanks,

SilverFern


	3. Chapter 1: Feast in the North

**Chapter One: Feast in the North**

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Eddard

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The great hall of Winterfell had never held so many guests between it's walls. The tables had been surrounded by a horde of guests, their normally still legs shaking from the force of the laughter. Many lords had come to the feast and as he sat at the head of the table he took his time to observe those who had come, as was the duty of a host. Upon hearing of the King's visit to the North, the first in many years, the lords and ladies had come from far and wide hoping that their sons and daughters would catch the eye of an important potential suitor. Most people present, however, were too entranced by the drink and the food to notice the opposite sex, the majority of these, naturally, being male.

Suddenly the Lord's shoulder was knocked forward, successfully drenching his furs in the mead he had been holding. He sighed. Had that been anyone else he may have been angry. Given the power the king held, however, he doubted he would have had a chance to display such an emotion. Robert was as drunk as a man could be while remaining conscious. Turning to observe his oldest friend, his attention was brought to the woman upon his knee, and then to the rather disgruntled figure glaring at the King.

His leather jacket may have liked his house emblem, but Ned recognised him all the same; Elias Hunter, the Castor's bastard. Ned had enough visits from the Castors, the Lords of Littleridge, to recognise the man. Elias had, after all spent many hours attempting to teach his son to use an axe. The Gods know how annoyed he got when Robb attempted to stab with it. "Better luck next time," Ned called out,"The King has taken every woman who has passed upon his knee!" It didn't take long for Elias' face to regain it's characteristic half-smile.

"My Lord!" he exclaimed, bowing respectively, if somewhat sarcastically, "May I be the first to say that this feast has gone down extremely well!"

"How in seven hells did you manage to get next to the King's table!" As terrible as it was, it was sadly true. The bastard sons of Lords were usually confined to the tables by the entrance. That was where his bastard sat, looking unexpectedly happy as he drunk tankard after tankard of mead. Elias only smiled, he had never cared about restrictions.

"It was very easy actually, the guests seem somewhat nervous of Bryn, he cleared me quite a path!" Glancing down at the hound who lay around his leg, Ned understood why. The thing was monstrous, standing almost as tall as a grown dire wolf, muscles clearly bulging through the skin on it's strong shoulders, as was typical of the Castor breed. All this fearsome appearance was somewhat sullied however by it's big black eyes and lolling tongue.

"The runt," Elias explained, following his gaze,"Always was too friendly to be too scary. It was a good thing most of the guests were drunk or I would have never have made it this far!" Ned grunted, the similarity between Elias and his Jon was shocking. It couldn't be that all bastards were connected like this! "Speaking of drink, you don't appear to be screaming for the hills to get away from him, yet the tankard you bear appears to be almost empty. I wouldn't have taken you for one who can hold his mead like a true professional!"

Ned snorted,"Not a drop of it actually made it past my lips," He nodded his head at the King, who was in the process of being slapped, at Elias' questioning glance who proceeded to turn and laugh.

"Perhaps a change of seating may be in order?" He managed through his mirth, staring pointedly at Ned's soiled coat.

"Perhaps it is time for the host to greet his guests," Ned sighed, standing from the poor table that harboured a now very depressed King, staring into his mug,"I would ask you to return to your place, but I know it would do no good." But he had already moved on, leaving an unimpressed Lord in his wake. "Buggering…"

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Elias

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Leaving the lord was a matter of timing, Elias having planned his unannounced departure from the second he was caught. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he harboured great respect for the Lord, being that he was the first highborn to speak with him throughout the feast. He heard the curse when he suddenly disappeared, but saw the smile on the Lord's face, so perhaps he wouldn't mention it to his father. He had spoken with the Lord's own bastard before patrolling for company from the fairer sex (he had almost hooked one before the king snatched her away).

He and Jon had many things in common, the least of them being the fact that they were both bastards. He learnt of Snow's intervention with the doomed dire wolf pups, and of his ownership of the litter's runt; a pale thing with eyes as red as the Lannister colours. The runt had played with his Bryn before the feast had started. The difference between Jon and himself however, was that Elias Hunter, Bastard of the great and noble house Castor, was as fond of the fairer sex as a man is of breathing! Jon however was adamant to sit bone-idle at his table, blushing like the fair maiden he is at every attempt made to encourage him to the ladies.

His eyes scanned the room for a target. His gaze settled upon a slender lady, ebony hair that shone in the firelight, the black griffon on her snow white dress contrasting perfectly with her fair skin. His advance, however, was halted as he spied honourable Lord Eddard speaking amiably with the Lady of Blackwood. Curse him! The usually stoic Lord knew him, and would undoubtedly spare Blackwood's honour. Cursing quietly to himself, he pivoted on his foot to continue his scan, tonight was not as busy as most.

Thoughts of wooing women left his mind at the sight of an extremely frustrated Aaryn, dressed in Green riding leathers, sitting across from a very bored looking place man, sitting with his feet stretched out in front of him. Elias need not look to the golden serpent upon his white gambeson to recognise Dramen Marhall. Elias nodded to the silent guardian in his green and black Destrier scales standing like a statue over Aaryn's shoulder, missing the small smile of recognition he got in return.

"A Destrier annoyed? Today is a strange day indeed!" He cracked, earning a half-hearted glare from the man mentioned,"What has gotten you so riled up m'lord?"

"If you could pull yourself together for a second Eli, perhaps you could help me!"

"If the good lord could keep his cool, perhaps he would formulate a good argument." Dramen added, good-naturedly, his silky voice filled with enough honey to fill the Marhall's entire trade fleet.

"An argument? About what?"

"A debate, an argument sounds so violent."

"A debate then. Same question."

"Politics." Elias snorted.

"Best leave me out of it then, I have a very controversial view concerning politicians." Dramen glanced up, interested, while Aaryn held his head in his hands, he'd heard this story before. "Best find out they actually do have a complete man's body and find some female company!" Aaryn snorted into his hands. Dramen just seemed upset at the newcomer not sharing his interests seriously.

"Seems Lord Stark was not wrong about you," Came a voice, smooth as velvet,"He warned me to avoid the Castor's bastard."

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Christina

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The honourable Lord Stark had more that a thing or two to say about Elias Hunter, mostly warnings, and a few comments about his dog. Having heard it for herself now, she decided to put him in with the 'avoid' list. Looking past the tall tanned man she introduced herself to the rest of the gathering.

"Lady Christina Blackwood," she bowed with a grin, noticing the strange looks such an action received when performed by a lady in a dress.

"Charmed my lady, Lord Dramen Marhall, at your service, and this fine man here is Lord Aaryn Destrier."

"Honoured my lady." Lord Destrier finished, pointedly ignoring the encouraging hand signals Eli was throwing his way as he disappeared back into the feast.

**_A/N: That is that for the first chapter. I apologise for the wait. This chapter was mostly for introducing the characters, but next time we see them, I promise more action. Until then don't forget to drop a review, that is why I do this. Many thanks,_**

**_ SilverFern_**

**_A/N (updated): I have read all my reviews and I am ecstatic at the feedback I am getting, thanks, all of you! I have tried to break the paragraphs up a bit, and I am hunting for the grammatical errors. When I have ironed them out I will update again. The second chapter is underway and will appear soon. I do not know what the ideal word count will be, so feel free to drop a review or send me a PM. Until then I plan to make the chapters longer. Also, I have just realised what you all said about Elias Hunter actually being called Elias Snow due to him being born in the North, I will talk to the guy who made the OC._**

**_Many thanks to Littletimmy223, TheNightGirl, Saint River and the selection of guests that pointed out the errors,_**

**_SilverFern_**


End file.
